


Affection

by LadyIrina



Series: Corruption and Redemption [8]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Explosion, Four times they showed they cared, M/M, Past Sexual Assault, References to Depression, Roofied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-19 00:41:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14225379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyIrina/pseuds/LadyIrina
Summary: Four times one of them needed support and they were there for eachother.





	Affection

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gentrychild](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gentrychild/gifts).



> I just can't seem to stop writing about these guys and I blame Gentrychild! Stop feeding my muses!

**Vasiliy Makarov**  
-  
Vasya had already gone inside the Underground station while Theseus lingered a few moments longer to say his goodbyes to Credence and Graves as if they were being separated for years instead of a couple of hours. They then split ways and he had taken exactly seven steps inside the building when the explosion hit.  
The next thing Theseus became aware of was lying on the ground, coughing, and looking up at a very worried Credence. “What… happened?”

“It was a bomb,” Credence explained, half sounding like he didn’t believe it himself. Yet, the air was filled with smoke, screams and sirens. “It knocked you out for a bit.”

Theseus shook his head a little, trying to clear his scrambled brains, when dread suddenly struck him. “Vasya!” He sat up abruptly, ignoring his battered body and the dizziness that followed. “Where’s Vasya? He went inside!”

Credence took a hold of Theseus’ shoulders, partly to prevent him from falling back down and partly to prevent him from getting up. “Percival went down to get him. He’ll find him, okay? It’s going to be all right.”

Instantly struggling to get up on his feet, fear raw in his throat, Theseus was trembling with both fear and exhaustion by the time he succeeded. “I have to… Vasya… Why did I let him go ahead?”

“Easy, Theseus, easy.” Credence kept his hold on him as he swayed and tried to find his balance. “You took a nasty fall. You sure you’re okay?”

Theseus nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. “ He stared at the stairway leading down to the Underground, where smoke and injured people were streaming out. “Vasya…” Moving to enter the darkness, Theseus tugged at his arm when Credence restrained him. “I have to find him, damn you! What if he’s hurt? What… What if…” Fear wouldn’t let him finish the sentence.  
What if he’s dead? The thought was too horrible for Theseus to really comprehend. Life would not make sense without him there!

“Theseus, wait!” Credence’s grip was strong, too strong, he was clearly channeling the Obscurus, but Theseus didn’t care and kept struggling. “Look, damn you! There!”

Startled, Theseus looked over at the stairwell again and saw two familiar shapes step out of the smoke. Percival Graves, appearing a little ruffled, had one arm around Vasya’s waist and Makarov’s arm over his shoulders, supporting him as he walked. The Russian was both dusty and bleeding from a cut by his temple, a little unsteady, but alive.

Not even Credence could hold him back. Theseus broke free and ran over to come to a stumbling halt in front of them. Looking briefly at the grim-faced Percival, he let his hands hover undecidedly near Vasya. “Is he… How… Is it bad?”

“I’m fine,” Vasya declared in a tired voice as he lifted his head to look at him and managed an equally tired smile. He continued in Russian; “My head hurts and Graves healed some minor injuries, but I got lucky.”

Exhaling, Theseus dared to cup his face with trembling hands. “You’re okay… I thought… I was so scared you were…”

“We should get out of here,” Graves muttered, eyeing their surroundings. 

Credence stepped up. “I’ll apparate us back home.”

-

Vasya’s head was killing him. He gratefully accepted the potion Credence handed him upon entering the living room and downed it in one gulp.

Returning to the house, Theseus had healed the cut and Vasiliy had untangled himself from both him and Credence and headed for the shower. Rinsing off the dust and blood felt good, even if his head was throbbing, and getting dressed was a chore, but eventually he shuffled out of the bathroom and found Theseus anxiously hovering there.  
Since then, the Englishman had been glued to him and sitting down on the sofa in the living room resulted in Credence latching on to his other side. 

Vasiliy leaned back and closed his eyes, waiting for the potion to take effect, and became increasingly aware of the two clinging to his arms. Unsettled after what had happened in the Underground, in pain and strangely tired, he suddenly felt trapped and claustrophobic.  
He managed to stand it for two full minutes, and then he sat up abruptly and untangled himself from them with firm determination. “I’m just going to get a soda,” he mumbled in Russian.

“I can,” Credence began, but Vasiliy cut him off. “No, that’s okay. I can get it.”

He didn’t look back, merely stalked off towards the kitchen. Once inside, he paused briefly at the sight of Percival Graves in there; cleaning up and putting away items which had been used for the pain potion. The man glanced over at him, a little surprised to see him it seemed, but then he merely went back to tidying. “Something you needed?”

Vasiliy hesitated. “Soda.”

Graves nodded, putting something back in a cabinet. “You know where they are.”

Almost relieved that he was allowed to get it himself, Vasiliy moved over to the fridge and opened it to grab a can. He closed the fridge as Graves put away another item in a different cabinet. Strangely hesitant to return to the living room, Vasiliy stared down at his can and picked at the top of it.

“Hey.” Graves’ voice said.

Looking up at him, Vasiliy raised his eyebrows in a quizzical manner.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Percival said.

Not expecting to hear that, Vasya frowned a little with suspicion. “You are?”

Percival snorted a laugh. “Yes.” He walked over and reached out to slide a hand behind Vasiliy’s neck, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You gave us all quite a scare today, Shorty. We could have lost you…”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” Vasiliy countered in Russian, managing a faint smile.

“Idiot,” Graves muttered affectionately and leaned forward to gently rest his forehead against his; an intimate gesture he usually only exchanged with Theseus and Credence. They closed their eyes and didn’t move for a little while. It felt nice, real nice, making some of the tension bleed out of Vasiliy. Graves then straightened and gently showed him away. “Now get out of my kitchen, you useless drunk. Try not to get yourself blown up on the way.”

Laughing a little, Vasiliy turned and headed back to the living room. He paused in the doorway though; watching the two he’d just fled from. A pale Theseus on the verge of tears cradled by an equally pale Credence, and realization hit Vasiliy hard. 

He was uncomfortably aware of how close to death he’d come a mere hour ago, it made his skin crawl, but he hadn’t really thought about how it had affected the others; their fear and their need to reassure themselves that he wasn’t dead. He understood then.

Vasya walked over to them and reclaimed his place, but this time he placed an arm around each and held them close. Placing a light kiss on Credence’s hair, he turned to murmur against Theseus’ unruly locks; “I’m here. I’m okay. Everything is okay.”

\---

**Credence Barebone**  
-  
Credence could barely contain himself. His grin, as bright and wide as it was, could only show a fraction of how excited he was that the day had finally arrived! He’d been looking forward to this new nightclub opening and he’d even managed to persuade the others to join!

Well, Theseus didn’t need much persuading, but together they’d managed to get Percival and Vasya to come along as well.  
And why shouldn’t they? This was the most anticipated event of the year! His favorite band was playing and he’d already spotted at least three celebrities! 

The evening began as perfect as Credence had dreamed it would and he was even flattered to have this handsome guy really come on to him. (He brought him a glass of the most expensive champagne in the house and told him to keep it even when Credence explained he was there with someone.)

He saluted the handsome stranger and the two emptied their respective glasses before Credence thanked him kindly and headed back into the crowd to make his way to the others. He was halfway there when the floor suddenly began to slide from side to side.

Frowning confused, Credence came to an unsteady halt, one hand to his head, and even then the floor wouldn’t keep still. Gulping down air, he glanced around and found that both the people and the music began to blur. What was going on?  
His entire body was feeling funny by the time he heard someone call his name. Credence tried to focus, tried to make himself find whoever was talking to him, but it was getting harder and harder to think. 

Someone touched his arm and he managed to glance over and smiled widely when he found it was Theseus. He was saying something, but Credence couldn’t make out what. He only absently noticed how Theseus’ face went from cheerful to worried.

Then Credence was walking again, helped and guided by Theseus, and he was happy to see Percival and Vasya suddenly appear as well. Now all three were talking, but they sounded so serious. Especially Percival. He sounded furious. He looked furious too, now that Credence thought about it.

Suddenly Percival took a hold of Credence’s face, staring hard at him. “He’s okay?” Credence could only give a numb blink, not sure what he was talking about or why he was so angry.

“Yeah,” Theseus answered. “It’ll wear off eventually. He won’t remember much, which I’m guessing is what that guy was betting on.”

Percival released Credence as if his skin burned and his eyes flared with pure rage. “I’m going to fucking kill him.” Whomever he was talking about, that was NOT an empty threat.

“Percy, wait,” Theseus began, but then Credence was slowly sinking towards the floor and the Englishman had to focus on getting him back up on his feet again. One slow blink of his eyes later, Credence was floating. No. Wait. He turned his head slightly and found that he was looking up at Vasya. Vasya was carrying him.  
What was going on?

Then Theseus was there again, next to Vasya. He looked worried again. “Let’s get him back first. There’s no reasoning with Percy now.”

Vasya nodded.

Credence drifted in and out of awareness, absently surprised when he found himself lying on the sofa back home instead of standing around in a nightclub. He wanted to ask Theseus what was happening, but he couldn’t find the energy.

Credence slipped into the darkness…

-

Vasiliy was entering the living room from a brief visit to the kitchen and nearly walked into Theseus. When he’d left Theseus, he’d been curled up on the sofa with the sleeping Credence. Confused, he found him tense and with a frightened look o his face, and Vasya followed his gaze to find what he was staring at which was unsettling him so much. 

A huge amount of Obscurus was sliding around in the room like a sentient darkness exploring its surroundings. It covered most of the living room-floor, except for where they were standing, and it was tall enough to reach knee-height with occasional smoke-tentacles sliding up walls and windows.

Vasiliy raised his eyebrows. “Oh.” He turned his attention to Theseus again. “What happened?”

“I don’t…” Theseus began, unable to take his eyes off the darkness. “I don’t know. It just… started seeping out of him. It grabbed me and I… “He gulped down some air, fighting off the memories of the hurt he’d received from no less than two Obscurus. “I think it’s protecting him.”

“Maybe,” Vasiliy said. “But if it decides to stretch outside, we have big problem. That will draw a lot of attention.” He considered their options before nudging Theseus. “Go. Find Graves.”

Frowning, Theseus glanced over at him. “But…” Leave him alone with an uncontrolled Obscurus? He knew Credence wouldn’t hurt them, but Credence was currently drugged and dead to the world. Who knew how that affected the Obscurus? “I don’t think I should leave you alone here. With that.”

Vasiliy smiled. “It will be okay.” They both then jumped when the Obscurus knocked down a picture from the wall. He gave Theseus a light shove. “Go.” And before the other man could object, he walked into the darkness. Vasiliy felt the cold as he waded through the Obscurus, ignoring Theseus worried cry, and merely focused on approaching Credence in a calm and non-threatening manner.

“Credence?” Vasiliy was relieved to have reached the sofa without the Obscurus attacking, not sure how cognizant it was or if it recognized him at all, but at least he was able to sit down next to the sleeping man. “If you can hear me, Credence, I need you to keep calm, okay? The Obscurus is loose. You can’t let it outdoors and draw attention.” He paused briefly as he felt darkness slither up and around his arm, further up, almost sniffing at his neck, before forcing himself to go on; “Focus on me. I don’t mind. Just keep it here, yes?” 

Credence frowned in his drugged sleep, uncomfortable, and Vasiliy felt the Obscurus shiver with unease. 

“You’re safe, Credence, I promise,” Vasiliy took Credence’s hand between both of his. “I know you’re feeling strange, but it will pass.”

He continued to talk softly to him, reassuring him, for what seemed like a small eternity. The Obscurus kept mostly calm, sliding around him, switching between curious and wary, until, finally, Theseus and Percival Graves apparated in the room.

Graves blinked at the sight of the Obscurus, torn between awe and concern, before he strode forward towards Credence. The Obscurus danced excitedly around him, but he ignored it, focusing completely on the younger man. Makarov had only enough time to scramble to his feet, before Graves had replaced him and taken Credence’s face between his hands.  
“Credence,” Percival murmured, leaning forward. “Wake up.”

Against all odds, Credence’s eyelashes fluttered and lifted just enough for him to peer bleary-eyed at Graves.

Smiling, Percival moved one hand up to slide it through Credence’s hair. “Your champagne, it was spiked; it’s why you’re feeling so weird. The guy will never drug anyone else ever again, I give you my word. Now, I need you to sleep this off, really sleep, ok?” He stroke his hair a second time when Credence gave a sleepy nod. “Good. That’s my boy.”

Theseus made his way behind the sofa, carefully wading through the darkness, and leaned over to look at Credence. “I promise I’ll wake you with a kiss, Sleeping Beauty!”

Giggling, Credence’s eyes drifted shut again and the others watched over him as he slept and they were there to reassure him when he woke up; confused and with a thousand questions.

\---  
**Percival Graves**  
-  
Christopher Howe was a brown haired, brown eyed young man. He struggled to find his words, tugging at the sleeve of his jacket, his shoulders hunched and his body curled in on itself. As if his story, the parts he managed to stutter out, didn’t make Graves uncomfortable enough, the physical resemblance made him boarder on feeling nauseous.

He managed to listen, even as he desperately wanted to get up and walk out of the room, keep his voice somewhat neutral and tell him he would consider his case once he’d have the chance to look over the police files and what other information there was.

Howe thanked him. He made a move as if he meant to reach out for a handshake, but he couldn’t make himself do it and sent Graves an apologetic smile instead.  
Understanding only too well, Percival forced himself to smile back and opened the door for him and nodded to the grateful look sent his way as the young man passed him on his way out.

After the meeting, Graves spent a long, long time sitting in his office chair, staring at nothing.

Coming home brought some relief. It was good to hear the familiar voices, Theseus and Credence talking far too loudly and laughing at something, and he even found some comfort in passing the Russian lost in one of his books as usual. Home was safe.

But even as he tried to block out what he’d heard in his office, Percival found that he didn’t quite manage it. Credence had to repeat most of what he said because Graves wasn’t paying attention and he was almost relieved when Makarov challenged the younger man to a battle of chess.

Walking out to stand on the balcony of their current house, Percival stared out at the city. Why had he thought it would be interesting to work as a lawyer? Sure, he was an expert at paperwork and arguing with others until they gave up, but surely there were other occupations he could try out where he wouldn’t be forced to face… things.

He knew the others were happy about their current location and choice of occupation, but Percival knew they would leave everything behind if he asked them to. But could he really do that to them because of a single case he didn’t want to take? All he had to do was say no to Howe and it would all go away. Why did that seem even more impossible? Why couldn’t he even picture himself looking into those agonized eyes and tell Howe he couldn’t help him, but he could maybe refer him to someone else? It wasn’t like it was his damn responsibility to get justice for the boy!

The balcony door creaked as someone stepped out to join Percival.

“Hey.” It was Theseus. “What’s wrong?”

Percival didn’t answer at first, merely kept staring, but finally he heaved a big sigh. “It’s a case.”

“A case? As in work?” Theseus turned to lean against the railing to look at Graves instead of the view. 

“Yeah, I…” It annoyed the hell out of Percival that it was every bit as hard to talk about as it was to make sense out of it in his head. “There was a young man in my office today. His case… I guess it brought back some bad memories.”

Theseus blinked, instantly aware of what he meant. He hesitated, trying to find the right words. “He wants you to take his case against the guy who hurt him?”

Percival nodded.

“I think you should do it,” Theseus stated.

-

“I’m not sure I can do it.” The truth was hard to admit, but Percival knew Theseus wouldn’t judge him for admitting weakness. 

“You can’t make Ben suffer for what he did,” Theseus said gently, “but you can get someone who walks in his footsteps and get justice for this young man, the kind you never got. I’m not saying it’s not going to be tough, but you’re not alone anymore. We’ll be with you every step of the way. If you need ‘anything’, we’ll be here.”

Percival still hesitated.

Theseus leaned towards him and spoke in a gentle voice. “You’ve carried this pain for so long, Percy. Alone. You’ve bottled it up inside, forced it away, never dealt with it.” He just needed to try to touch his hair to prove it. “It might not change much, it won’t take away the pain, taking this case, but not taking it? It will eat at you and you know it. Isn’t that why you didn’t just say no to taking the case? You’re a good man, Percy. Let us help you.”

Percival gave a faint nod, knowing he would take the case and dreading it. “Yeah…” He reached out and pulled Theseus into a tight hug. It felt a little better when Theseus’ arms went around him as well.

Entering the living room again, Percival barely noticed Theseus slipping out into the hallway as a worried Credence was standing in front of him and staring at him. He managed a smile and held out his hand, and once Credence took it; he dragged him over to the sofa and curled up there with him. “It’s just a complicated case at work.”

Credence rested his head on Graves’ chest, holding on to him like he had to protect him from the world. “Can I help?”

“You are.” Percival said, and meant it. Just holding Credence made him feel better, more clear-headed and able to digest the idea of what was lying ahead. They stayed like that for a long time, neither one speaking or really moving much.

“Hey, Credence,” Theseus’ voice suddenly echoed through the house, “you don’t mind if I upload a picture to your Instagram account, do you?”

“What?!” Credence shrieked, sitting up abruptly, before looking back at Graves.

“Go,” Percival said with a laugh. “You better hurry.”

“I’ll be back,” Credence promised, then vaulted over the back of the sofa and ran off to find Theseus before he wrecked havoc on his poor followers.

Amused and strangely light-hearted again, Percival got up and wandered over to their makeshift library. He was looking for a book to distract him when he nearly had a heart-attack at Vasya suddenly speaking from behind him.  
“Feeling better?”

“I would if you didn’t try to kill me by sneaking up on me like that,” Percival exclaimed after doing a rather undignified spin to face him. He then cleared his throat. “And, what are you talking about? Feeling better? I’m not sick.”

“No, not sick,” Vasya said, “but you weren’t feeling well. You looked… upset.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Figured the only thing I could do for you was to stay away.”

Percival opened and closed his mouth, for once unable to find words. It was both a touching gesture and so horribly wrong at the same time. “Vasya, no…” He took a step towards him. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t want you gone, you idiot. And there is something I’d much rather have you do than hide away.” 

Blinking surprised, Vasiliy shook his head a little. “What?”

“My neck and shoulders are killing me,” Percival said, helpfully pointing at said areas. “A massage would be perfect! And I happen to know that Theseus dragged you to one of those massage classes!”  
Now Vasya was the one to open and close his mouth, lost for words.

And that is how Credence walked into the makeshift library to find a shirtless Percival Graves sitting the wrong way on a chair, arms folded on top of the back of said chair, and Vasiliy Makarov massaging his shoulders while muttering about how it shouldn’t be physically possible to be this wound up and not be screaming in pain.

“That looks nice!” Credence declared dreamily.

“It is.” Percival stated. He was in for a rough battle and he needed all the help he could get if he was going to survive it. He reached out his hand and Credence took it.  
\---  
**Theseus Scamander**

-

It was awfully early, as usual, when Vasya got up for his morning work-out. Theseus made a disgruntled sound, burrowing deep under the sheets. Nothing unusual there.

It was many hours later, when Vasya stuck his head into the room to check on him that Theseus realized that he wasn’t quite himself. His body felt like every limb had heavy weights attached to them. Even his thoughts felt heavy.

“You feeling okay?” Vasya asked, sitting down on the mattress and reaching out to feel his forehead.

“Mmmh,” Theseus mumbled. “Just tired.”

“Need anything?”

Shaking his head, Theseus didn’t even bother opening his eyes.

It was in the middle of the day when he finally managed to drag himself out of bed, mostly to make Vasya stop checking on him or offering him food. He got as far as the hallway.

“Theseus!” Credence sounded happy to see him and Theseus couldn’t understand why. “Hey, check this out! There is this absolutely horrible karaoke bar downtown! Doesn’t that sound awesome? Want to check it out later?”

Usually that kind of thing would had Theseus giddy with delight, but now the thought of leaving the house and all the people who were bound to be there did not tempt him at all.  
“Sorry,” Theseus said, forcing himself to smile and only partially succeeding. “I’m just not quite up for it. Rain check?”

Credence seemed both surprised and confused for a moment. “Oh…” He then shrugged. “Sure. No problem.”

Why would he want to spend time with Theseus anyway? He had Percy. Hell, even Vasya was probably happier with Credence than being stuck with ‘Seuska’.  
Theseus merely watched as Credence sent him a faint smile of his own before turning to leave. As he was about to enter the living room, Percival was exiting and Credence mumbled a few words to him before disappearing inside. Whatever he said, it made Graves frown.

Percy then called out his name before Theseus could discretely slip into one of the offices they never used. “Dinner is at seven.”

He was about to point out the fact that he wasn’t hungry, even if it was two hours away, but Theseus knew he had to pretend to care or Percy would start looking at him strangely too. “Duly noted.” He escaped into the dark room before Percy could answer.

Leaving the lights off, Theseus wandered over to the window and sat down in the windowsill. He stared out the window and let the silence fill his head again.

-

Hours later, there was a respectful knock on the door. Credence poked his head in. “Dinner is almost done. You coming?”

Theseus hesitated, not feeling up for it at all, but less eager to face the questions which were bound to come if he didn’t. Sighing, he got up on his feet. “Fine…”

Following Credence, he was a little relieved that the younger man wasn’t up for talking either and they walked in silence.  
In the living room, Credence pointed at the sofa. “That’s your designated seat.” And headed out into the kitchen, leaving the door open.

A little confused, Theseus walked over to the sofa, finding the table there set with plates and drinks. He slowly sank down and noted how quiet everything was. Leaning over, he glanced out into the kitchen and found Credence filling up a bowl with something while Percy and Vasya were working on something else on the stove; together and not arguing. Blissful silence for Theseus’ mind which felt like it was filled with glass-shards.

Theseus slowly sank back against the sofa and frowned. What was going on?

Credence came back into the living room and placed the bowl on the table. “They’re just finishing up.” He then dragged his beloved beanbag closer to the table and turned on the TV before fidgeting with some DVD cover.

They were eating in the living room? In front of the TV? Food that Vasya and Percy had made together? Theseus wondered if this was one of the signs of the apocalypse…

Moments later, Vasya and Percy came into the living room, carrying bowls as well. It was only when they put them down and took a seat on each side of Theseus that the Brit realized they’d made his favorite food.

“Okay, we’re ready,” Credence said, scuttling back to settle his beanbag to sit between Theseus and Graves’ legs. He pressed play on a remote and the screen switched to the DVD menu of Theseus’ favorite movie.

Vasya filled one plate with food and handed it to Theseus before helping himself as well and settling against him; a quiet support. The movie started and Credence was absently chewing on his food while resting his head on Theseus’ knee. Percival reached for his drink and sipped at it while his other hand gently rested behind Theseus’ neck; his thumb stroking the sensitive skin there.

Theseus swallowed hard, fighting back tears, and slowly put a piece of food into his mouth.

Maybe those horrible thoughts that would sometimes appear inside his head were true, but even if they were; Vasya, Percy and Credence still loved him. They didn’t question him or get angry when he got like this. They merely accepted him and quietly showed their love.

Maybe that karaoke bar could be fun tomorrow? Maybe. One day, definitely!


End file.
